Specialized
Men's Diverge Sport
- 2018

With the Diverge Sport, you'll be prepared for anything, from smooth tarmac to the loosest, roughest tracks out there. It's packed with all the same technologies as its pricier cousins, only its spec places an emphasis on reliable performan
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With the Diverge Sport, you'll be prepared for anything, from smooth tarmac to the loosest, roughest tracks out there. It's packed with all the same technologies as its pricier cousins, only its spec places an emphasis on reliable performance, not components so flashy you'll be eating nothing but top ramen for months.

The Diverge frame will comfortably fit up to 700x42mm tires with plenty of room for mud, too. Weight was a large factor in the development, so Specialized took some design cues from the Roubaix with a FACT 9r carbon frame that's one of the lightest in the category.

Specialized opted for a new Open Road Geometry. We know what you're thinking, "it's just another marketing term," but they truly did develop an entirely new geometry. Think of it as a road version of modern trail bike geometry. It provides playful handling and predictable steering for endless dirt skids and mid-corner drifts. The geo features a bottom bracket that's over a half-centimeter lower than the previous Diverge, a slacked-out head tube angle, short chainstays, and a short wheelbase. These changes make for a bike that's not only fun in the dirt, but also performs well on the road.

There's only so much that wider tires with lower pressures can absorb, so Specialized implemented a new version of the Future Shock into the Diverge design. It not only soaks up bumps with ease, but provides extremely predictable handling. That's because the wheelbase isn't lengthening when you hit a bump, so the front end of the Diverge keeps the same effective head tube angle. In other words, when you dive hard into a turn, you won't be surprised by under steer or sloppy handling. Unlike the original Future Shock, the Diverge's version features a progressive spring that makes this technology more suitable for off-road applications, where stiffer suspension is often needed to soak-up larger bumps and obstacles.

Specialized topped it off with three water bottle mounts and mounts for racks and fenders. So while it's one of the most smile-inducing bikes you'll ever shred fire roads on, it's equally adept at bike packing, commuting, or even a spin to your local brewery. The Diverge Sport spec hits right on the money with a sturdy Shimano Tiagra groupset, hassle-free mechanical disc brakes, and a strong Axis Sport wheelset.